Meade happy with Nicanor Noel Meade reports his Galway Plate contender Nicanor in good form ahead of the Ballybrit showpiece next Wednesday. The French-bred nine-year-old enjoyed his finest hour when beating Denman in the 2006 Royal & SunAlliance Novices' Hurdle before injury sidelined him for nearly three years. He got back into the winners enclosure over fences at Navan in February but has failed to sparkle in four outings since. Meade said: “He’s in the Plate and I’m very happy with him. He ran well at Tipperary but when jumping the third last Paul [Carberry] said he felt lame for a couple of strides, and the leaders were gone from him then.” The Navan handler will rely on Fisher Bridge in Thursday's Galway Hurdle. The seven-year-old gelding has scored three times over hurdles including the valuable Ladbrokes Handicap Hurdle at Fairyhouse last year. The Singspiel gelding embarked on a chasing career last season winning at Kilbeggan, and has been in good form recently on the Flat with success at Roscommon and the Curragh. “Fisher Bridge is in the Galway Hurdle, I just hope he has the speed for it, we’re going back over hurdles with him as lately he has been backing away from his fences.”
